substantiivists

Substantiivists are individuals or philosophical positions that emphasize the importance of substance in understanding reality. In metaphysics, a substantiivist view typically posits that there are fundamental entities, or substances, that exist independently and possess properties. These substances are considered the underlying reality upon which all else depends. Without substance, according to this view, there would be nothing for properties to inhere in, and existence itself would be unintelligible.

Different traditions have developed distinct notions of substance. In Aristotelian philosophy, substance is that which is neither predicated of a subject nor present in a subject, serving as the primary subject of predication. Cartesian substance, on the other hand, is defined by its essential attributes, such as thought for mind and extension for matter. Idealist philosophies, in contrast to substantiivism, often deny the existence of material substance independent of mind, or view reality as fundamentally mental.

The concept of substance has been a subject of significant debate throughout the history of philosophy. Critics of substantiivism, such as empiricists like David Hume, have questioned whether we can have any direct experience of substance, arguing that we only perceive a succession of impressions and ideas. This has led to alternative theories that focus on relations, events, or processes as the fundamental constituents of reality, moving away from a strict substantiivist framework. The ongoing discussion about substance continues to shape metaphysical inquiries into the nature of being.